Pakistan categorically rejected Taliban claims of significant casualties among its forces along the border, terming the reports “completely false and baseless.” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, speaking at a press conference in Kabul, alleged that 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed and dozens injured in recent clashes, while nine Taliban fighters lost their lives. He further claimed that over 25 Pakistani military posts were destroyed and weapons were seized by Taliban fighters.
A senior Pakistani official dismissed these assertions as “exaggerated and far from reality,” adding that Pakistan would soon provide “a clearer picture of the losses we have inflicted.” The official reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to countering all forms of terrorism along its borders.
Mujahid also accused Pakistan without any evidence of sheltering members of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) and warned that Afghanistan reserves the right to defend its airspace and territorial integrity. He alleged that ISKP has established new training centers in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, recruiting operatives through Karachi and Islamabad airports, and planning attacks abroad, including in Tehran and Moscow.
Responding to these claims, the Pakistani official underscored Pakistan’s strong record in countering ISKP and other terrorist networks, while noting that the Taliban have “openly harbored such groups.” On diplomatic matters, Mujahid addressed Afghan Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi’s visit to India, describing it as a bilateral engagement “not directed against any country.”
